Crusade of Hearts
by Saria33
Summary: Sequal to Kingdom Crusade. Storyline of Kingdom Hearts 2, Chrno as Sora and Azmaria as a less goofy-Goofy. Rosette as Kairi. whatever, I suck at summeries, R R please!
1. Twilight Town

Crusade of Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own ANYTHING in this story...except Rose and Sistine nn

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Chapter 1: Twilight Town

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Time threw himself up in bed.

"Great, I'm dreaming about guys who look like me. This can't be good." He said and looked out his window.

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Time stared off into the distance while Sora and Mario talked sternly about something. Marcy glanced at him worriedly.

"Doesn't that tick you off?" Sora said angrily.

"Yeah, that's just wrong!" Mario agreed.

"I mean it's true that stuff's been stolen around town...and we have a score to settle with James and all, so if he wants to blame us, I can't really blame him." Sora explained. "What REALLY bugs me is that he's going around telling everyone WE'RE the thieves!" – He paused to sigh – "Now, what to do." Marcy glanced at Time, as if coaxing him to say something.

"Well, we could find the real thieves! That would set the record straight!" Time said bravely.

"What about James??" Sora said, whining slightly.

"First, we should really clear our names." Time said. "THEN we can worry about James!"

"Oh no!" Mario cried. "They're gone! Our ----- are gone!" Mario blinked and put a hand on his throat.

"All our ------, gone?" Sora said, then did the same as Mario. Marcy put a hand on her throat before speaking.

"You can't say ------, why not?" She said.

"But you DO understand what I'm saying? All our -------, gone!" Mario cried.

"And not just the ------, but the word ------! They stole it too!" Time explained.

"What kinda thief is that?" Sora asked. "James could never pull that off."

"Yeah!" Time agreed.

"Alright, time for some recon." Sora said. He, Mario, and Marcy began rushing away from the usual spot. Time began to follow, but something stopped him.

"Huh...?" He said and he fell forward, unconscious.

"_His heart is returning...doubtless he will awaken soon."_

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Time's hand twitched and he woke up. He sat up to see Marcy standing in front of him.

"Time! Come on!" She said.

"Yeah, yeah..." The two began running.

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Sora, Mario, Marcy, and Time stopped in the Sandlot to see Ameno, Lera, and Hiro. Hiro jumped a little and pointed at them, and Ameno and Lera looked at them.

"Thieves!" Lera said.

"That was lower than most demons would go!" Ameno called to them.

"Oh, yeah?" Sora said.

"Nice comeback there, blondie." James said, walking over to his group. (A/N: In truth, Chrno takes care of Lera, Ameno, and Hiro. Normally when James is in the roleplay, Lera, Ameno and Hiro kinda disappear or something.)

"What'd you say!?" Sora said threateningly.

"You can give us back the ------ now." James said.

"Yeah, I mean you're the only ones who would take it!" Ameno yelled.

"That's undeniable proof that we totally owned you weaklings." James said, walking in front of the group. "So what did you do? Burn it?" – James paused to walked back to his group – "Not that we need some ------ to prove that you're losers!"

"Replay." Lera said. James laughed threateningly.

"Now you're talking!" He said. The whole group got into fighting position. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg, MAYBE I'll let it slide." Time contemplated what he was gonna do quickly. He knew that James was much stronger than his group. Time sighed and walked forward.

"Time!" Sora said, holding out his hand to get his friend to stop. Time inhaled deeply and got down on his knees. James's group laughed.

"Time!!" Sora called to him irritably. Time looked around in front of him to see a sword lying there. He rushed forward and grabbed it quickly. James took out his gun.

"Time, focus!" Sora cried to his friend. Time nodded and focused straight ahead. The two fought fiercely, but in the end, Time won.

"James isn't feeling so great!" Ameno said, looking for an excuse.

"Tournament decides!" Lera said. Marcy took out a, probably stolen, camera and put it to her eye. Time turned and Marcy took a picture of him. She made a thumbs up sign, and some white thing out of no where came and stole the camera. Time ran after it quickly. It stopped in a forest that he knew all too well – The Forest of the Lost. He ran through the forest quickly, as to not be caught by any of the abandoned demons.

When he finally made it through, he stood before a house he did not find familiar. The white being stood there before him. It's white, zippered mouth became unzippered.

"_We have come for you, my liege." _

"Huh...?" Time asked to no one. He shook his head and took out the sword he had grabbed earlier. He and the white thing fought quickly.

"It's no use..." Time said. Suddenly, a pale light surrounded the sword he had picked up, and it became bigger and stronger looking. It pulled towards the white thing, as if it had the will to fight on its own. Time looked up at the white thing, shook his head, and wielded the sword properly.

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After the battle, the white thing kinda disappeared, dropping several photos as it disappeared. Time picked them up and returned to his friends.

"Thanks for backing me up!" Time said irritably.

"Never mind that now, did you find the thief?" Sora asked. Time nodded and handed over the pictures he found.

"Good, you found the photos! Oh...!" Marcy said.

"Hey, you just said 'photo'!" Mario exclaimed.

"So, Time, tell us about the picture thief." Sora said.

"There's not much to say...the photos were just lying there!" Time said.

"So how are we supposed to prove that WE'RE not the thieves!?" Sora yelled and hit Time over the head. Time frowned. Sora picked up another picture that had Time and some other girl in it.

"It's a GIRL..." Sora said laughter in his voice.

"You look happy, Time." Marcy said.

"Do not..." Time denied.

"So does anyone else notice that ALL the stolen pictures are of Time?" Mario said. "It would be so WEIRD if the thief wanted to steal the real Time or something!"

"Get real. Who'd wanna steal a weakling like Time?" Sora said.

"Oh, and you're supposed to be my friend? Gee thanks!" Time said irritably. The whole group started laughing. Time started walking away from his nutty friends and back to his house.

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"_Where am I...?"_

"_What happened to my home? The church!?"_

"_Who are you?"_

"_DUDE!!!"_

"_I'm Rosette."_

"_And I'm Azmaria!"_

"_I'm Chrno. I'll go with you guys!"_

"_This is a problem...all the heartless are being destroyed by that boy!!"_

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Three days and several strange occurrings, including the appearance of an unfamiliar girl with green hair named Rose, later, Time woke up, and then sat up in bed.

"Right...the battle's today..." He swung his hand in front of him as if he were wielding a sword. "What a mess..."

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"Ladies, gentlemen, anyone who's paying! Welcome to the battles of the century – and we're in our top four! Time, Sora, Ameno, and Sistine!" Said the announcer.

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After the fights were over, Time had lost, so he just up and stole the trophy from the winner, Sistine. He and his friends sat on top of Twilight Tower (A/N: I can't remember the actual name) and he broke off each of the crystals on the trophy one at a time, and threw them to each of his friends. Time stood up so he could get of the tower, but he lost his footing and fell.

---------Somewhere, in a world far away--------

"Rosette! Wait up!" Mary called to her friend. Rosette turned and smiled.

"Will you go with me to the church? Daniel and Niyuki are being over-competitive with each other, and won't come with me!" Mary said. "...Not today." Rosette replied and continued walking. Mary stood there blankly for a few minutes. She wasn't used to being denied. She followed her friend. "Aww, why not?" She whined.

"It's just...I feel I forgot someone important...so I promised myself, I wouldn't go to the church until I could remember him." Rosette said firmly.

"_Rose...?"_

Rosette put a hand on her head. Surely she must be hearing things...she collapsed.

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"_Rose...what's happening to me?"_

"_Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Rosette."_

"_Rosette...I know you. You're that girl he likes."_

"_Who? Please, a name!"_

"_I'm Time."_

"_Okay, Time, but can you tell me HIS name?"_

"_You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Rosette!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_O-kay...I guess I can give you a hint...starts with a 'C'!"_

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Rosette slowly opened her eyes. Mary gasped, kneeled down next to her and helped her up. The two stared out to the ocean. Rosette glanced at Mary, smiling slightly, and began running towards the ocean. Mary followed her.

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The two stood before the sparkling ocean. "Rosette...?" Mary asked worriedly. The wind blew Rosette's hair into her face slightly, which she blocked slightly with her hand. She seemed to smile slightly as she kneeled down and took something out of her bag. She let it float out to the ocean.

"What's that?" Mary asked. "A letter, I wrote it yesterday – to the boy I can't remember. It says that no matter where he is, I'll find him...one day." Rosette responded. "Wow...I hope he gets it!" Mary said.

"He will." Rosette said plainly. "Starts with a 'C'. Right, Chrno?" She smiled.

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"_His progress is astounding."_

"_So what happened?"_

"_His encounter with Rose put his heart in contact with Rosette's. And that, in turn, affected Chrno. You see?"_

"_Rose...she's a wonder."_

"_She wasn't born like other Nobodies. She can interfere with the hearts and memories of Chrno and those around him."_

"_But who's Nobody is she?"_

"_I could tell you...but first, how about your true name?"_

"_It's Aion."_

"_Ahahaha! Pleasure to meet you, Aion!"_

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Time threw himself up in bed and glanced around his room. He sighed.

"I'm dreaming...but which parts...are the dream?" He asked.

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Marcy stood angrily in front of Sora and Mario. She walked in front of Time and glared at him, putting her hands on her hips. Time glanced elsewhere. Marcy crossed her arms over her chest.

"Only three days left of summer vacation...I'm surprised I haven't burned that stupid homework assignment yet!" Sora said.

"Ugh, you want the teachers to shoot at us for not finishing it? Normally I would have burnt it, but seriously, I'm tired of coming home with bullet wounds all over!" Marcy said irritably. Marcy was a terrible student, in every class so the teachers tended to shoot at her a lot, often with bazookas.

"Yesterday...I fell off the Twilight Tower, didn't I?" Time interjected.

"You wouldn't be here if you did!" Sora said, happy to have the subject changed.

"But, wow, that was really close!" Mario said. Marcy walked forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Stop changing the subject!" She said irritably.

"Okay, already! You win! We'll do the stupid assignment!" He said. "Then I'll burn it." Sora muttered so Marcy couldn't hear...or so he thought. Marcy threw a book at his head. "Oh, my bad!" Marcy said, with an 'angelic' smile on her face that just didn't suit a demon.

"Urgh...anyone got any bright ideas for a topic?" Sora said, rubbing the lump on his head.

"Maybe we could study all the weirder-than-normal things that are happening to me...you know, like the guys in white, the dreams..." Time said.

"Uh, Time? Just 'cause you started dreaming about guys doesn't mean its super natural." Mario said. "It just means you're gay." Sora whispered, earning another book to the head.

"And the guys in white are just new people who like to fight much more then we do." Marcy explained.

"But, there is a rumor I've been hearing around town! You know those stairs at the plaza? We use them all the time without thinking about it – but I hear they count different going up and down!" Mario said.

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About an hour later, they arrived at the plaza and walked over to the stairs.

"So, are these the stairs you were talking about?" Time asked.

"Well, actually it's the stupidest thing ever, but...well, Sistine's the one who counted. She's like, 'it's different every time I count!'" Mario laughed. "So...she just counted wrong?" Time asked, not believing his ears.

"Yeah." Time's shoulders dropped a little. He didn't want to be shot.

"But, hey, there are more things to check out! It's like, the seven wonders of Twilight Town!" Mario said. Time perked up slightly. "Check out the underground garage first – people say they hear voices in there." Time nodded and, with newfound confidence, ran towards the garage.

When he got there, he saw Ameno standing there. He suddenly multiplied into three Ameno's! Time took out his sword and growled somewhat menacingly. Many fought, and soon only Time was left standing. He turned around to see Ameno, again.

"What's wrong, Time? Oh, you're training? Well, I'm done now, so it's all yours!" He said and left. Mario came running over.

"So, the voices were all just Ameno practicing?" He asked. Time nodded, his confidence gone.

"Hey, relax, there are more rumors! Like, 'The Clone'! You know that waterfall down by the train stop? Go there; people have said they have seen clones of themselves down there!" Mario explained and Time ran to the place Mario described.

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When Time got there, he looked at the waterfall, and suddenly a transparent version of him walked out and walked right through him. Time turned to look at it, and it became a sort of 'shadow version' of him. Time took out his sword and because fighting the thing.

A few minutes later, after the fight, Mario came rushing over to see Time lying unconscious on the floor.

"Time!" He rushed over to Time's side and helped him up. He glanced over at the waterfall.

"Whoa, freaky! I thought someone was standing there and it was just my reflection!" Mario said. "Hey, that explains that rumor!" When the two walked away, they didn't notice Shadow-Time grinned evilly from behind the waterfall.

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Several bogus rumors later, Time and his friends rested lazily on top of Twilit Hill (A/N: Another name I forgot...) and watched for a ghost train.

"What are you lazy-asses doing here?" James said, walking up behind them.

"Waiting for the ghost train." Sora said, not realizing who it was.

"'Waiting for the ghost train.' Ahahaha!" James laughed. Sora recognized who it was and jumped up. Time stood up and glared at James.

"Why does looking at you always tick me off?" James asked irritably.

"I dunno. Maybe it's destiny." Time said.

"'Destiny...' in that case, let's be friends." James said. "I'm not one to cooperate with destiny."

"Since when are you one to cooperate with anything?" Sora asked. James grinned and walked away.

"James?" Marcy said walking forward. "I know. Tomorrow." He said boredly and kept walking. Time glanced sideways.

"Look!" He rushed over to the breaking fence and stared over it to see the ghost train, running along the tracks. "It's really true...and there's really no one aboard! What's the catch, there's gotta be a catch right?" He asked his friends.

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The group soon arrived in the train station to see the ghost train waiting there.

"C'mon, let's get on!" Time said, walking towards the train, but Sora stopped him. Time struggled, and then turned to look at Sora.

"What?!" He half asked, half shouted. "Uh, you'll get hurt." Sora said. Time turned back to the train, to see that it wasn't there anymore. A different train stopped in front of them, and Sora pushed Time on board.

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About an hour later, the group was walking home.

"Let's get home and work on the paper – 'the rumors were bogus, end of story.'" Sora said irritably. "We can still make it sound good if we say all the work we did!" Marcy exclaimed.

"Don't you mean all the work I did?" Time muttered under his breath. "What about the seventh wonder, the last one?" He said louder so everyone could hear.

"Who CARES!?" Sora said angrily. "I do. C'mon, Mario." Time said. Sora clenched a fist as Mario turned to Time. "Whatever." Sora said irritably. "Time..." Marcy said.

"It's at that old haunted mansion..." Mario said.

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Time soon arrived at the mansion, which seemed to be more rickety every time Time saw it. He walked towards the large padlocked gates.

"You know..." Said a voice behind Time. Time jerked around to see Mario standing there. "We were gonna check out the mansion tomorrow!" Time nodded and stared up at the mansion once more. "So, what're we looking for?" He asked. "They say there's a girl who appears in the second floor window – even though no one's lived there for years." Time stared at the window tensely, and seemed to find himself in an all white room, with the green haired girl Rose.

"Rose?" He asked, as he looked at all the drawings around the room. He saw drawings of the girl, Rosette, of the other girl, Azmaria, and of the boy, Chrno. He saw drawings of a man with spiky red hair and of someone like a female version of Sora, a female version of Mario, and a male version of Marcy.

"Do you wish to know the truth...of who you really are?" Rose's voice said as Time continued looking at the drawings. "Rose...who are you?" Time asked.

"I'm a witch...with control over Chrno's memories and those around him." She said. "A witch?" Time asked. "That's what DiZ calls me." She said. "But I don't know why I have this power...I just do. I'm not even sure if there's a right way to use it."

"Hmm, I can't help you there. It's funny...suddenly I feel like I don't know myself at all...I guess I would like to know, what do you know about me that I don't know?"

"You...you were never supposed to exist...Time..." Rose said. "W-what? How can you say that, even if it is true?" Time asked her. "I'm sorry. I guess some things...are best left unsaid.

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"Time! Time!!" Mario said, shaking Time's shoulder. "Huh?" Time said, and jerked his attention towards Mario. "Did you see her?" He asked. "Yeah, watch the window – closely." Time responded, pointing at the window.

"Oh, man. It's just the curtain blowing in the wind...must be a draft somewhere. I'm surprised this old place even has curtains still." Mario said. "...Yeah." Said Time. He still saw Rose clearly, standing in the window. "Well, let's head back to the usual spot." Mario said. "Sora and Marcy are waiting." The two boys walked back to the usual spot.

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"_Rosette!"_

"_Chrno! Ah!"_

"_Rosette, remember what you said before? I'm always with you too! I'll come back to you! I promise!"_

"_I know you will!"_

"_Well now what do we do?"_

"_We have to find Seraph Remington."_

"_Have you seen Seraph Remington?"_

"_What are you waiting for? C'mon!"_

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Time got out of bed slowly. He said nothing about the dream he had just had, for he knew now that the dreams were truly memories. He walked down to the usual spot.

"Man, I could not sleep last night." He said as he walked towards his friends. They did not turn as he spoke. "Guys...?" He asked. Sora turned and ran – straight through Time. He seemed surprised for a few moments, took a few steps forward and looked at the photo that lay on the stolen table. Only Sora, Marcy, and Mario were in the picture, Time was nowhere to be seen. Time looked at the picture sadly and put it back. He walked away from the usual spot.

"_Time! To the mansion!" _A voice from no where said. Time obeyed.

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Time arrived at the mansion to see the large gates still padlocked. He walked over to the gate and put a hand to the lock. Behind him, more white things began appearing. He turned and backed up towards the fence.

"Don't call me then lock me out..." He said quietly. Then he got an idea. He turned around, took out his sword, and cut the lock clean off the gate. He ran inside. He ran upstairs and opened a door to see the white room in which he had sat with Rose only yesterday. He walked in and saw one of her drawings – three men in black, standing in a line. As he stared at this image, a strange whistling noise came into his mind. He clutched either side of his head.

"_You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you!"_

"_No one would miss me."_

"_You can't turn on The Sinners!"_

Time lowered his hands from his aching head and turned to see Rose sitting at the pure white table behind him.

"The sinners...they're a bad group!" Time exclaimed.

"Bad or good, I don't know. They are a group of incomplete people who wish to be whole. To that end, they are searching for something." Rose said quietly.

"Rose?" Time close to whispered. "Yes?" She responded.

"Err, it's just...I think I've been running from the question I really wanna ask...what will happen to me now? Nothing else really matters anymore..."He whispered darkly.

"You are..." Rose started. Time looked up to see her slowly disappearing. "Rose?" He wondered. A man wrapped in red bandages, probably stained that color from blood, or worse, appeared.

"There is no knowledge that will change your fate." The man said.

"Even so, I wanna know...I have the right to know!" Time argued. "A Nobody does not have the right to know anything!" The man retaliated.

"But what IS a Nobody!?" Time exclaimed. This man was really starting to tick him off...a black and purple portal-like thing appeared, and Rose stepped out of the darkness.

"Time...Nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear – you'll be whole!" She explained to him. "I'll...disappear?" He asked her. The man grabbed her wrist. "No further outbursts!" He cried and began dragging her back into the portal. "No, you won't disappear! You'll--!!" She started, but was cut off by the man putting a hand over her mouth. "Wait!" Time cried. Rose bit the man's hand, causing him to withdraw for a little.

"Time, we'll meet again! But when we do, we might not recognize each other! I promise, someday soon!" She said as she disappeared into the darkness. Time held out a hand. "Rose...!" He said, and let his hand fall back to his side.

Time left the room and headed for the room across the way from the white room where he was. It was a library, with a design on the table. Time picked up a crayon that was lying there and finished the design. The table, and the floor under the table, in turn disappeared from sight. Time went down the stairs and through the open door to see a room with a computer. He walked over to the computer, and another high pitched whistling noise grew loud in his ears. He grabbed either side of his head and fell to his knees.

"_Why...why do you have that sword!?"_

"_Shut up!"_

"_Will it work?"_

"_If we can maintain the simulated town until Rose finishes chaining together Chrno's memories."_

"_What will happen to Time?"_

"_He holds half of Chrno within him. In the end, he'll have to give it back. Until then, he'll need another personality to throw off his pursuers"_

"_Poor thing."_

"_It's the fate of a Nobody."_

_A flash of light, a burst of sound, and it was over._

Time slowly opened his eyes, and shook his head. He glared angrily at the computer before him and took out his blade. He began trashing the computer to no return. It was beyond repair now – a mere memory.


	2. The Oracle's Tower

Crusade of Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic except for Rose.

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Chapter 2: Oracle's Tower

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As soon as we got off the train, it disappeared.

"Eh heh…there goes our ride." I said and slumped down a little. I followed Azmaria down to the tower where a fat guy stood by. He laughed manically.

"What's so funny?" Azmaria asked him.

"I just sent a whole bunch of heartless inside to get the Oracle!" He said.

"Heartless!?" I cried.

"Yeah, you know, those things that come out of the darkness in people's hearts…" The guy said. "Aw I don't have time to explain this to you two brats." – He paused to turn around – "Go on, scram." He blinked and jumped. "You again!?"

"Gluttony?!" Azmaria cried. I blinked.

"You know each other?" I asked.

"Yes, see Seraph Remington banned him from heaven and he became a homunculus!" Azmaria explained. "But he was banned to another dimension! How did you get out?"

"Aion busted me out!" He said fiercely. "And soon, we will take over all worlds together!" Azmaria and I started laughing quietly.

"What's so funny?" Gluttony demanded.

"He won't be helping you where he is!" I said, laughing.

"Oh…! So you're the one who did it to him!" He said furiously.

"We might've had something to do with it…" I said, putting my hands behind my head.

"Oh…! You two will pay for what you did! Heartless squad, attack!!" Gluttony cried. Several heartless began fazing out of the ground. We fought those heartless, and won quickly. Gluttony stomped a few times.

"Ooh, you're gonna pay for that you...!" He said angrily.

"Sooo, who lives in this place anyway…?" I asked, somewhat distantly.

"Why, the all powerful Oracle of course!" Gluttony chuckled. Azmaria's eyes grew wide.

"The Oracle does!?" She said, running to the door of the tower.

"Yup. 'Cept the old lady's probably a heartless now!" Gluttony said proudly.

"Who's this Oracle anyway?" I asked Azmaria.

"Why she's Seraph Remington's teacher!" Azmaria cried.

"Sounds powerful." I said, opening the door.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?" Gluttony yelled. Azmaria and I entered the tower. (A/N: LOL ignoring him D)

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Azmaria ran up some long stair cases, fighting heartless as we ran.

"Oh…! Heartless, heartless, heartless! Things haven't changed one bit!" Azmaria shouted as we ran.

"So…the worlds aren't at peace after all…?" I wondered aloud. We soon reached our destination – the Oracle's room. Azmaria went in before me.

"Oracle," She said bowing, "I am Azmaria, and I serve under Seraph Remington!" I walked in.

"Hey there." I said grinning.

"Oh, show some respect please!" Azmaria said to me, as if I was a little kid. The Oracle gently waved her hands as if to calm Azmaria down.

"I know who you both are, and why you're here. Please, just go into the other room and get the kind people there to give you new clothes…your other ones clearly don't fit you that well anymore." The Oracle said, gesturing towards a door on the right. I went through, hesitantly.

"Well, look who's here, Chrno and Azmaria!" Negi said and waved kindly. I waved back somewhat hesitantly. "I guess you need new clothes?" He said, glancing warily at my brown and tattered clothing. I nodded smiling a little. He took out his staff and cast a spell. There was a flash of light and when I looked down at my clothes. I now wore a red cloak over a red coat, white long sleeved shirt, and red suspenders. (A/N: I forgot how his clothes look!!!! )

"There you go, now you'd best get back to the Oracle – she has something to give you!" Negi said and ushered Azmaria and I out of the room. We got outside and saw the Oracle opening a portal.

"Wha-?" I said, and the portal sucked Azmaria and I up.

[Rosette's POV

"Maybe…waiting isn't good enough…" I said.

"My thoughts exactly! If you want something, don't wait, act. One of life's little rules." – A man with spiky red hair appeared – "Got it memorized?" He said.

"Who are you…?" I asked him warily.

"The name's Axel. Got it memorized? I happen to be an acquaintance of Chrno's." He said. I felt as though I swallowed a bucket full of butterflies.

"…Chrno?" I asked him.

"Why don't we go see him?" Axel said, somewhat menacingly. I thought for a few seconds and heard a barking noise. I looked to find the source of the barking and saw a small, red dog with a lock on its collar.

"You know, we're more similar than you think. We're both missing something that we both care about." – A black portal opened directly across from Axel – "Hey, I feel like we're friends already!" I began running for the portal, but turned quickly.

"You're not acting very friendly!" I cried as I ran into the portal.

I walked slowly into a blue area. The dog and I continued walking.

"What is this place?" I asked. The dog began running ahead. I followed him and turned – to see a man in a black coat behind me.

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When I awoke, I was in a place I didn't recognize.

"What…?" I asked. I saw three people in front of me.

"You just came flying out of a wall!" One of them cried. The three told me their names – Sora, Marcy, and Mario.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Yay, I'm done, finally! nn I'm so proud of myself. 3 pages too!!! nn The first one was probably longer though, right? Oh well. I hope you enjoyed! If you review, I will love you forever!!!!!!!!!


	3. Black Heart Town

Crusade of Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone except Rose!!!!!!!!!

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Chapter 3: Black Heart Town

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"Hey, Az, is it just me and my wild imagination or are we in Black Heart Town?" I asked Azmaria. She nodded. We both began walking, hoping to find the gang.

A white…thing…flashed in front of us, and we stopped.

"Huh?" I wondered.

"That's the town's new defence mechanism! Mariann fixed it up this morning!" A familiar voice above said. I looked up and saw Sara standing there.

"Sara!" I cried. She stood there grinning, not looking any different than how she looked a year ago. She faltered slightly.

"Look out, fur ball!" She cried. I raised an eyebrow and threw out my sword and slashed at a heartless that came out of no where. Azmaria and I fought several heartless at once.

A few minutes later, Sara jumped down off her roof.

"I see you're still weak as ever, fur ball." She said grinning.

"Gee, thanks!" I said irritably. "Have you seen the Seraph?"

"Mm, nope." She said and started walking off. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again!" She ran off. I followed her.

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We walked into a familiar building – The Bloody Rose, the local bar. Sara jumped in front of Azmaria and me.

"Meet the Black Heart Town restoration committee!" She said cheerfully. A blue haired lady, my boss, Diana, turned around.

"We missed you doing the laundry and cooking fur ball." She said.

"DUDE!!! I knew it!!!!" Mercutio said grinning ear to ear. He turned to Sara. "Dudette, you owe me five bucks."

"Knew what?" I asked.

"Well, dude, everyone just…REMEMBERED you! I bet Sara you would come back and DUDE I WON THAT BET!!!!" He said, still grinning ear to ear.

"You…remembered? Wait! You idiots forgot me!? Thanks a lot!" I yelled at them.

"Where were you guys for a year?" Mariann asked pleasantly.

"Well…we were sleeping…" Azmaria said quietly.

"Where – in cold storage?" Mariann asked. Azmaria and I thought.

"Well, whatever, dude. Black Heart Town has a MAJOR problem, dude!" Mercutio exclaimed.

"What – you guys stealing?" I said dully.

"No, dude, these…black…things…but get this – Lera says they don't have souls!" He said enthusiastically.

"You mean the heartless?" I asked him seriously.

"Yeah, those things, but dude – there are these white things too, they don't have hearts, and Lera says they don't have souls either – but that they're empty shells!" He said.

"Empty shells…?" I asked quizzically.

"Yeah, dude, come check it out!" Mercutio said, and left. I started to follow, but Mariann stopped me.

"Here. Now you could help us with restoring Black Heart Town to its natural glory, as Sara puts it." She said, handing both Azmaria and I a card thing. I looked over it to see that we were now part of the 'Black Heart Town Restoration Committee'.

"Hey, thanks Mariann…now Az and I will be heading off." I said, and kind of dragged Azmaria out of the Bloody Rose Bar.

----------------------

"Look at that, dude!" Mercutio said, pointing out to Black Heart Town. Something was wrong…

"There are pieces of it missing!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, dude…" He said. There was a crash outside, and Azmaria and I ran out to see what happened. We saw some men dressed in black robs standing on a rooftop.

"Who are you!?" I yelled up to them.

"Why…we are the Sinners!" One of them said.

"The…Sinners…?" I asked. The group seemed to laugh. Azmaria frowned and began running towards a ladder that led to the roof. The group on the roof disappeared. I turned to see one of the group's members standing there. I took out my sword and wielded it.

"Now, now. Is that any way to treat a former comrade, Chrno?" He said.

"A…former comrade?" I asked.

"Oh, dear, you forgot?" The man said. The way he spoke proved that he was smiling.

"What on earth are you talking about?!" I demanded. The man laughed.

"That's the same exact look he used to give me!" He said.

"Huh…?" I asked. Azmaria rushed forward, shield before her, and attempted to hit the man, to no avail. The man disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and Azmaria fell flat on her face.

"Oww…" She said.

"That man…he knew me…" I mumbled.

"Don't worry, he must've been trying to psyche you out is all!" Azmaria said comfortingly.

"Yeah…that's gotta be it! I'd never be comrades with sinners, even if I am a demon!" I said grinning.

Just as this thought left my mouth, a black portal opened before Azmaria and I, and it sucked us up. Where were we bound for and when will we find Rosette?

TO BE CONTINUED…

Wow, that one took me a few months to write…nn" sorry. Didn't mean to take so long. . " Next chapter won't take so long, I swear! R R, and now I must let my poor, poor hands rest…TT"


	4. Tendo Dojo

Crusade of Hearts

Disclaimer: do I really have to write this?

Chapter 4: Tendo Dojo

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I groaned, and sat up...I'd never get used to that. I looked around to see where we were this time. I saw a small pond, and a long sort of hallway with a railing running along the side close to it. There were Japanese-style sliding doors, and I could smell something really good cooking.

"Where...where are we now?" Azmaria asked quietly. I shook my head. "No idea," I said.

"Give me that melon, you creep!!" screeched a female voice. I turned at the sound, and saw a little, wrinkly old man holding a watermelon over his head, while running away from a girl with red hair that was in a braid. Her tank-top was extremely big on her and kept slipping, while her shorts seemed to fit her just fine. I decided that then wasn't the best time to ask her where we were.

"Oh, hello there." said a pleasant voice, "are you friends of Ranma's?" I turned to see a girl with hair just past her shoulder, tied in a very loose ponytail. She was very pretty, and smiling kindly at Azmaria and I. I smiled awkwardly, and explained part of our story...

---

"Oh my...how dreadful..."

I nodded sadly. After recounting the story, I missed Rosette even more. Will I ever see her again...?

"I said get back here, you old creep!!" the screeching female voice cried again. I winced. I was starting to get a headache. Eventually, the girl with the braid caught the wrinkly old man, who gave back the melon in sad defeat.


End file.
